Daily Briefing Sept. 16 – From Mecca to Mokha: Houthis flex as Saudis flail

The Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet using a locally made air-to-air missile while it was carrying out hostile operations. According to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, the aircraft was targeted while the rebels were also launching attacks on Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

The Houthis have denied Saudi accusations that they targeted Islam's holy city of Mecca, saying their operations are focused on oil facilities and military bases, far removed from sacred sites. The Saudi coalition has vowed retaliation, warning that the security of holy sites is a "red line" and that they will take necessary measures against the Houthi militia.

Saudi Arabia had previously issued alerts over possible attacks in Mecca and across swathes of the kingdom's south, which borders Yemen. The kingdom, a key US ally, has declared its intention to take action to protect its interests and the security of holy sites.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Euronews, NPR, Winnipeg Free Press — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.